Being the Target
by LilBlueFairy
Summary: Having to work late shifts at the bar and juggle college is one thing, but being the target of a deadly but gorgeous vampire is a whole different experience. KBK, MA, MS
1. Unusual Circumstance

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Rurouni Kenshin.

**Being the Target**

_By: LilBlueFairy

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A couple of days ago, if you would have asked me if I believed in vampires, I would have said no, but I would silently be thinking, _Dear God, if they are real please don't have let one have heard me and try to suck my blood. I really need to by a cross necklace._

So as you can see, I wasn't a firm believer but cautious anyway. Well I was about to be shown the light, or the darkness in a vampire's case, and confirm my unsaid fears.

It all started three days ago, the rainy days of April were fading and the heat of summer was slowly making its way here. I had just Aced my calculus exam at KU (Kyoto University) and was in high spirits. I called up Misao, my cousin and best friend, and decided to go have a nice little treat at the ice cream parlor about three blocks away from my apartment.

There we indulged in the sweet frozen cream and talked about everything, well mostly guys in Misao's case. Shewouldn't stop babbling aboutthis cute guy from her grammar and composition class. Apparently, she was planning on bring him by the Tsukikage, the club that I worked at as a bartender,to see if I approved or not.

Well after our quick treat I made my way homeandthe afternoon seemed to fly by.Before I knew it, I was at work in the customary dark blue vest with a white blouse underneath and my classy black pants.

I walked in at 8:30 and began my usually routine. Isaid a brief hello to the bouncers stationed at the front of the club,checked to amount of drinks I had,made sure that the glasses were clean, and loosed up my musclesbefore the crowd started to appear At first it was light but it really began to pick up around 10:30.

I soon fell into my habit of ignoring the pricks that said they would pay a little more if I served them something 'extra', the groping drunks, and the loud thumping music that would go on for hours. So lost in my daily routine was I, that I almost missed Misao and her latest squeeze.

The guy was a little tall, had brown hair and brown eyes. He gave a small smile, but his eyes had a dull quality to them that drastically contrasted with Misao's sparkling ones. _Why does she always pick boring men?_ I though with an exsaperated sign. His personality was just too weak to keep up with Misao, and I began to feel sorry for the guy. He was in for a long night.

After they disappeared, I went back to my normal routine until about 12:30, because little did I know but I was about to meet the creep who would screw up my life.

I was doing my usual bar tricks that I did to make the drinks. You know, the basic tossing and catching of large bottles, performing unique twists and turns to make the drink mix just right, or some of my other favorites that required agility and grace that I achieved while I studied kendo and lived with my dad in our cozy dojo.

Whendad was alive, I would practice religiously. In fact I became so good that Iachievedthe position ofassistant instructor.I held that title with honor and I practiced with pride everyday, well at least till the daymy dad died.

I was at the young, ripe age of 17,when my dad's broken heartstopped trying. My mother had died from breast cancer when I was 13 and myDad slowly started to lose touch with reality. He only stayed with the world of the living for me, but even then I knew my time with him was short.

A small lump in my throat caught and a small tear stayed hidden in my eye,making me awake from my thoughts. Sorry, I got off topic again. I tend to do that often, especially when I drink coffee. I had a cup or two before I started, but I knew by the end of my job that number would increase to about 10 or 12.

Speaking of coffee, I needed a cup right about then. It was getting close to midnight and my hard study sessions from the past couple of days had caught up with me. I still had a few more exams to take before this semester of college would be finished with me. I mentally groaned and began making a list in my head to keep track of what courses I would need to take care of. _Let's see. I still have that stupid history core class, followed up by my basic English class, and then that advanced geometry class..._

_There I go again! Dang it Kaoru! Keep it together._

Anyway, I was working hard, trying to forget my annoying thoughts of college,and avoiding roaming hands as usual, and then this one punk decides to get behind the bar and get fresh. So I have to stop everything and turn my attention to this jerk who is as drunk as the resident drunk, Hiko, which is pretty hard to achieve.

The guy, who has brown eyes, with slicked back blonde hair, and your typical pervert, invades my bubble making me back up into the edge of the bar. I really wanted let this guy have it but I had to wait till he touched me first.

_Stupid company policy._

His breath smelled of dead fish and vodka, not my favorite combination. But my thoughts were interrupted as I felt a pair of eyes on me, which isn't new since people look at me all the time to ask for their drink, but this pair had a weird vibe to them. So I glance over and see the most gorgeous pair of eyes I've ever seen.

They were amber, literally amber. It was as if the guy had captured the sun and put it in his eyes. Then I began to notice all of him, he had dainty but powerful features. Some would almost call him girly if it weren't for the fact that he looked like he would kill you in a second if you said anything. His hair was almost as impressive as his eyes. Blood red is what I would call the color and it shined like silk. My fingers began to twitch, just begging to run though his luscious mane, but my thoughts were cut of as I felt the sleazebag in front of me finally touch me.

His hand grabbed my arm roughly and he began to whisper in my ear, the warm breath crawling over my ear as if someone had put a bunch of spiders on it.

"How would you like to be my next meal, babe?"

I hated it when people called me pet names. My ki rose with my anger and the blonde jerk let go of my arm in shock but quickly replaced it with a rougher grip and a small ugly grin grew across his face. "Forget being my meal, baby, you can be my mate."

But I barely registered what he said, because I shifted into my fighter stance and quickly knocked him out with a hard blow between the eyes and flipped him over my back onto other side of the bar.

I looked at all the drunks and customers staring at me, which included the red-head, and my face flamed with embarrassment and anger. Pushing back my embarrassment, I quickly growled out for everyone to hear, "If anyone dares to cross my bar again, I will personally see that you will be taught a very painful lesson." My eyes shifted from one end of the bar to the other and I barked out, "Is that clear?"

Everyone, except the red-head -_which I'm sure is dyed because that just can't be natural_- shook their heads with fearful agreement. I smiled, happy that they got the message and cheerfully said, "Good!"

I heard some wisecracks about me being crazy but a quick, cold glare silenced them quickly. I didn't really like having to beat people up but if I was going to be a math teacher for Jr. High kids, then I needed to be tough! Well not that tough, but you get the point.

So I go back to my business, the lazy good-for-nothing bouncer comes by and picks up the prick that I knocked out to throw him out, and life is back to normal, well except for that annoying but gorgeous stare coming from the dyed-hair guy.

The vein above my right eye begins to tick with barely restrained frustration. _Stop looking at me, creep! _I shouted out mentally but to my surprise the guy smirks with amusement and starts heading toward my bar. So I put on my best fake smile and ask the usual and clichÈ phrase of, "What can I get you, sir?"

_So help me God, if he says you, then I'll go crazy!_

The guy's bright eyes light up again with amusement, but never really smiles. _In fact, he does kind of have a dark feel around him. _

"Do you serve wine here?" He asks with the deepest, sexiest voice I have ever heard in my life. But I'm not some kind of floozy, who melts at merely a voice and I smile and say, "Y-yes but we only have a small collection and it's a bit pricy." _Dang, I hate it when I stutter!_

The smirk on his pretty face seems to grow and he says, "That's fine, I would like a glass of Beau Noir."

Serving the drink with a grace and swiftness that I never knew possible for me, I handed him the drink and told him the total. But the guy ends up giving me 3,000 yen over. "Um sir, you've paid to much." I regretfully tell him.

_Dang me and my soft heart._

"Keep it," he says with a haughty smirk and walks off.

My blood began to rise and I saw red as I stared at his back, I sneered at him and grumbled, "Show off."

_Look at me I have fake hair and tons of money, let see if I can show off how poor she is,_ I thought as I glared as his head but then something really weird happened.

He turned around and smirked at me, showing off a nice pearly white fang, but it wasn't the fang that got me, it was the red eyes that glared back playfully. _Didn't his eyes used to be amber?_ But I didn't have a chance to see because he disappeared into the crowd.

_Well, that's great and dandy like sour candy, but I've got work to do. And I set back to work. _

The red eyes and fang didn't really bother me since I figured he was just one of those weird types and I would probably never see him again. So I set back to work and ended my shift around 4:00. Sure it was late, but the pay was great.

I said bye to Hiko, who wanted another drink, and my manager and strode out of there ready to go home and go to bed.

I made it about a block before I noticed something, or someone, following me. So like anyone else would do I increased my pace hoping that they would turn off at some point. No such luck, they kept following me.

I was about to get really freaked out but then a heard a short yell from the alley next to me. It was next to a streetlight so I could see fairly well and noticed some guy was necking this brunette. The brunette looked happy to me but something about this just didn't feel right. So I gathered up my wits and dignity and interrupted the little make out session. But what I saw would remain with me the rest of my life.

Crimson blood was pouring from the girl's slender neck and she looked like she was about to collapse from blood loss, the guy who did the vicious necking was the perv from before. "Hey, what's going on here?" I yelled angrily. If you didn't notice, I have a short temper but it really gets me hot is when I see some guy attacking a poor defenseless girl.

"Ah, its my future mate. How nice of you to come and see me," he said creepily. His fangs, stained with blood, were long and overlapping his bottom lip. I swore his nails were too long and pointed to be normal and his features seemed more drastic and sharp.

_OK, this has got to be some type of nightmare. This doesn't happen in real life! Just in those horror movies. And damn it! I'm not Buffy!_

I usually don't curse but when pressed into a tense situation, I can usually make a sailor feel uncomfortable.

I grabbed a nearby wooden crate and broke off one of the boards. It wasn't too bad for a make-shift bokken. I dropped my purse and settled into the familiar position of a fighter. The creepy force that had followed me gave a spark of surprise. I don't know how I knew that but I didn't have time to think about it as the perverted vampire tried to attack me.

It was kind of sad at how bad at fighting he was. Sure he had a lot of strength, speed, and great senses but they didn't mean anything if he didn't know how to use them. As he charged at me with inhuman speed -_Surprise there-_ I swiftly dodged his clumsy attack and quickly dealt a sharp hit to the back of his head, successfully knocking out the weak vamp.

A heard a shaky deep breath taken behind me and turned around to see teardrops fall from the brunette's eyes. The girl had lost to much blood and was slowly dying.

I slowly stumbled to the young woman who had barely lived her life. I gazed into her pale green eyes and saw the innocent fear of death fill her eyes. I could tell she was thinking of what she could have done with her life as a regretful smile made its way to her small pale lips.

I mourned for her and a couple of tears trickled down my face. _Her life was cut so short. I promise to never take life for granted ever again_, I promised myself as I watched the life ebb away from her.

Suddenly I heard a shuffle and turned around, the blonde vamp had gotten back up and was flying towards me and I was vulnerable. I had dropped my 'bokken' to check the girl and I didn't have enough time to reach for it. So I merely closed my eyes and faced death just like the girl behind me.

Of course, it never came. It's like love or surprises, it never happens when you expect it.

I cracked one of my blue eyes open to see something I really-_I mean really-_didn't want to see. A clawed hand was holding the still-beating heart of the vampire out of his chest where he could see it. Black, sluggish blood slowly made its way down the vamp's chest and the vampire looked down as smile crazy smile lit his features. He looked back at me with the creepy grin and thenpromptly turned to dust.

When the dust cleared, there was the red-headed stranger with the amber eyes staring straight at me. His eyes held no emotion and his mouth was a set line. I quickly grabbed my bokken and stood in a defensive stance. Of course I could never beat him, I could tell by how he held himself and his aura.

Yep, I was screwed but that didn't stop me from trying. If I was going to die, I was going to die fighting, the traditional Kamiya style.

My face tensed and my eyes glowed with defiance.

The dye job looked me over and then focused on my eyes. He gave a small nod to himself and relaxed his body, as if to insult me. I gave a small growl of anger and his lips curved into that annoying little trademark of his.

The creep had the nerve to smirk! _Jerk._ His eyes seemed to glow and twinkle with dark enjoyment before he disappeared.

I looked all round me but couldn't find him, so I steadied myself and felt for something out of the ordinary. A shock in the air to my right told me where he was and I aimed in that direction but he was to fast and came up behind me. His arms were like steel bands and they wrapped around my arms so I couldn't move.

I struggled with all my might and tried everything to knock him off but he was like a rock and I was unable to move him. His head buried its self in my hair and I could practically feel the smirk against my neck. _Damn him and his smirks!_

I could feel the cruel amusement come off of him in waves. He began to nuzzle my neck and I began to panic. _Crap. I'm being molested by a deadly killer and the worse part about it is that I like it!_ But of course I would never admit to that but the Vamp gave a deep chuckle anyway. _Wait a minute! Can't vampires read minds?_

"Yes, we can." The creep said with his -_unbelievable-_ sexy voice, and then went back to giving my neck attention. It was fine when he was nuzzling but the nuzzling soon became licking, which made my legs give out. _I'm so ashamed! If this creep ever lets me go he'll regret it!_

"Indeed, I will. You certainly are tasty, my pet."

"WHAT!" Anger flooded my veins and I began to see red.

"Calm down, pet." The amber-eyed man said behind me with a little nip.

I began to gasp as a bit of blood came out of my neck, which quickly drew the vampire's attentionaway from my anger to my neck. He began to suck slowly, not piercing me with his fangs yet. Although he was sure to make them evident as he lightly scraped my neck with them.

An aroused moan came from my lips and I felt his lips give a small grin. _Wait a minute! I'm not some toy to play around with! I'm Kaoru Kamiya and I will not give in easily!_

With this thought, a strong surge of strength filled my being and I quickly stomped on the vamp's foot and yanked with all my might out of his arms.

As I got out of his hold, I turned myself to look at him. He gave one of those annoying smirks again before disappearing out of sight, but this time he left for good.

I looked down at the now dead girl, and shook my head solemnly. I silently searched in the shadows for my discarded purse, my mind on auto-pilot.

I found it and its contents dumped on the cold, wet concrete behind a small trashcan. I checked my wallet, noticing that nothing had been taken because there was nothing to take, and picked up my old, beaten Nokia. I sighed with tired grimace and collected my items into my purse before I phoned the police.

_This night was eventful,_ I sarcastically stated in my mind as I leaned against the nearby dumpster.

_Indeed, it was,_ came a familiar dark and sexy voice. It seemed to echo throughout my mind and make its way down to my toes, causing goose bumps to sprout and decorate my already chilled skin.

I glaced around my surroundings, but I knew he wasn't there. I hugged myself andgave a quick shiveras I waited for the police to arrive.

Ok, so that event taught me something. I need to really live it up and stop wasting my life because you never know if some red-haired creep is just going to swoop down and suck you dry like his favorite strawberry milkshake.

So to set off my new lifestyle I decided to start with something that has been a small annoyance in my life for a long time. I was going to improve my dental hygiene.

Don't give me that look. What did you expect me to do? Go out and club all night and wake up with a hangover and puke all over myself? I'm sorry but did somebody forget that I was the bartender at that club and saw how people turned into saps over that addicting beverage.

Yeah, definitely not me. Besides, I'm a firm believer in baby steps! Like that movie What about Bob? That's a great, movie. Bill Murray did an awesome jo-

Hold on! I was talking about something else. Hmmm, crap I hate it when I do this. Oh yeah! New lifestyle and Listerine!

Reason why I choose Listerine: it's a great baby step and besides I really hate that grimy feeling in the morning! To wake up every morning with that slimy plague all in your mouth trying to take over and turn your mouth into an infested war zone that would make a bus driver feel proud, well it's definitely not for me.

So the next day I recovered from my nightmare on the random street. After my recovered, which was the next day after that, I made my my way home - _which was vampire free! _-and made a quick stop to buy some Listerine (heard it was just like flossing) and buy my sweet secret addiction of peach rings. You know the chewy sugary rings that send your mind into a happy little spin? Oh yeah. I love those things. Curl me up into my big (but a little bumpy) couch, play my favorite movie, The Mummy (with the heroic Brendan Fraser), and feed me those little heavenly pieces of joy and I'm yours. I'm like a big cuddly kitten after that.

I mean who wouldn't be with that combination! Especially the movie, I know its got some cheesy effects if you really look into it and that sometimes you wondered why they just didn't keep the stupid cat with the Americans the whole time, butbesides that I have to say the romance and action kick butt. So sue me, when I see Brendan and Rachel Weisz together it just makes my little old heart melt. Plus not to menti-

_Oh crap. _

While I was getting off track with Brendan Fraser, who I think is really cute except for that little spot on his nose, but I mean if you look at the whole package-

_KAROU! Focus! _

I should never drink coffee after work ever again. It apparently turns me into some A.D.D. person and that's not good when some creep is trying to stalk you.

With that thought, a slithering sensation settled at the bottom of my spine. The creepy vibes told me that something wasn't right with the unknown stalker, maybe it was a serial killer!

_Well, that sucks._

I can see already on the news, "A dead A.D.D. girl was found this morning clutching a bag of peach rings, apparently it's the work of a new serial killer. More news later on…"

Wait a minute, sure I believe those morons would think my peach rings was the work of a killer but I certainly wouldn't be on the news. This is Kyoto for crying out loud. We're the seventh largest city in Japan and I doubt that they do random killings on the news.

_Hey!_ While I was rambling, I was able to make it to my apartment building, it's just up ahead.

With the creepy feeling becoming more intense, I began to increase my pace slowly so hopefully the stalker wouldn't notice.

Knots formed in my stomach and fear started to cloud my mind. A coldsweat formed on my palms and my brow. _Hold yourself together, Kaoru!_

I began to take deeper breaths, just like if I was back at my dad's old dojo. His training began to sharpen my mind and my senses. I suddenly felt a quick jolt in the air and lightning shot up my spine. This was definitely not part of dad's training.

But I didn't have enough time to focus on that though as I jumped into the alley to the right of my apartment building. A clink was heard as something metal connect with the sidewalk where I had just stood.

_Oh Shi-_

A heavy and familiar chuckle filled the air. Its low resonance seemed to pass right through me, leaving me shivering from the strangely alluring feeling. "Nice little girls like you shouldn't use such language."

_What? Oh damn! It's that vampire with the dye job again!_

"Such language is very unbecoming on a young lady such as yourself." His blade that had nearly sliced me in half rejoined with its sheath at his left hip, as he began his slow, dramatic walk towards me. "Maybe, I should teach you a lesson." He said with a dark tone.

_What was with the slow walk? Why do all the bad guys do that? Can't they be original for once! Also, it is a he right? He does look kind of girly, though. With his flaming dye job and-_

My thoughts were cut off as the once dramatic bloodsucker disappeared from my view, but I didn't lose him for long.I, Kaoru Kamiya, was on top of things. Especially when a cold hand wrapped around my throat and a steel band, or an arm, wrapped around my waist.

"That wasn't very nice, pet." His warm breath drifted over my ear making me realize the seriousness of my situation. _But for a cold guy, he or she had really warm breath. At least its not bad breath, then that would be really gross and I would have to give her or him my Listerine, thus leading to vampire germs all over it and that is definitely not acceptable._

Sometimes, I really hated my lack of concentration.

"One thing you should know, pet," he bit out the word 'pet' harshly proving his anger, but the tightening of his grip on my throat and waist also might have helped send the message. "Is that vampire germs are far more desirable than your pathetic human ones. And the next thing is**…**" He shifted me against him as I felt something poking me in my lower back.

_Dang it! It must behis stupid sword hilt!_ I had to speak up against this, he can scare the wits out of me, but he is going to do it comfortably. "Hey buddy, move your sword hilt! It's getting on my nerves." I grumbled as I tried to move away from the offending object.

Suddenly the vamp behind me began to chuckle deeply but it soon escalated into a full out round of laughter, which didn't sound too bad, it fact would be extremely enjoyable if he wasn't some evil, blood-sucking stalker.

His laughing at me made me very, **very** unhappy. My teeth were clenched just like my hands and I was afraid that I was about to draw blood at how tight I was fisting them. Oh, he was going to pay. No one came out unscathed with an angry Kaoru.

After his little laughing session, he dug his sword hilt deeper into my back and said with a mischievous smirk thatI could practically feel growing. "That's no sword, pet. Unless you plan on being the sheath."

_Fu-_

"Now what did I say about language?" He murmured as he began to nuzzle my neck.

"Sorry, daddy," I growled out sarcastically. For that comment, I was instantly snapped around to face him and shoved against the brick wall of my apartment causing my head to snap back and meet the brick personally. Thank God, I had a hardhead.

The dye-job held my limp body against the wall with his own and smirked at my loss of sense when my head whacked the wall. His hands began to undo my raven locks from the normal pony-tail I had it in. His amber eyes glowed as he stared deep into my eyes. "I'm definitely not your daddy, little one."

With that said, the jerk began to violate my mouth pleasurably as one of his hands dug itself into my loose hair. The other held my hip, tighening when I tried to move away.

I found myself losing all resistance as his fangs grazed my mouth, but I wasn't weak. I wasn't seduced so easily!

_Kaoru! You aren't supposed to like this! Snap out of it girl! _My eyes flew open and that dye-job began to chuckle again!_ What does he think I am? A clown?_

Placing small kisses at the corners of my mouth, his fangs grazed my bottom lip again and my traitorous body shivered. "My dear little pet, I believe that you are enjoying this." As he spoke his skilled lips rubbed against mine.

_Stop reading my mind you… you butthead!_ I yelled mentally, I had a powerful set of lungs to begin with but hopefully they would work on him and give him a headache just like the one I had.

His face winched a bit but then he began laughing again. "Butthead? My dear, aren't you creative?"

"Shut up! You parasite!" I snapped back angrily. _Just because I don't like to curse much doesn't mean that you have to-_ But my thoughts came to a halt as the more evil side of him came back, apparently my last insult worked.

His eyes began to glow a violent red and his once sexy fangs elongated into vicious daggers.

_Ha! How bout that one!_ I boasted in my mind, I had finally got to him. Inside I was doing a little victory dance since my real body was inconveniently pressed against a brick wall. _Darn inconveniences._

"That last little comment sounded a little sarcastic to me, did it not pet?" the creep said as he pressed further on me.

I began to squirm to see if I could escape or not, believe or not I was really tired and just wanted to go to bed. _Now if only the dye-job would let me go…_

As I began squirming, the blood sucker pressed his hips further into mine and gave me a hungry look. "I believe that you should stop that right now, pet. Or else we will become a lot more intimate than you had planned."

_Creep! I didn't plan on doing anything intimate with that dye-job!_ But the way he was pressed into me sent fear and arousal into my already confused body. I quickly stopped struggling as he had asked and then suddenly thought of something._ If he can read my mind then why….._

Now, this is where I love my tendancy to get off topic.

I began to laugh, and I mean I really laugh. I laughed like the time when Misao got those straws stuck up in her nose, which had only happened last week. See what happened was, I was really down about my upcoming exams and she decided to make me happy again by talking about the good old days when we got away with stupid stuff like sticking stuff up our noses. So she decided to try it out aga-

I was snapped out of my happy little world by a low growling. I looked up into the vamp's eyes and saw that they had turned into a darker crimson red. _Way to go, Kaoru._

"And what is so funny, my pet?" he growled out as he began to crush my body further into the wall. I began to heave at the lack of oxygen, which distracted the sexy pervert as he glanced down. I quickly pushed him back. He didn't go far, but enough for me to breath.

"Pervert!" I yelled at him, which brought his eyes back to my face. "I was laughing at the fact, that while you can read my mind - which is cheating! - You haven't protest to the fact your hair has been dyed! I'm sorry but for a serious deadly killer (which I said a little too sarcastically) you must really dress to impress."

Now that I look back on that, I can honestly say that was a stupid move. Really stupid.

His now clawed hands broke into the brick behind me and his deadly fangs glinted angrily in the small light proved from a nearby streetlight. _Again, way to go, Kaoru._

His face lowered to mine and said in that deep baritone of his, "Its all natural. And I mean **everything**." The way he stressed everything told me that it was a sexual reference but when he slammed his mouth against mine causing my lip to bleed, it was confirmed.

Being that he was a vampire, my bloody lip must have seemed like a lollipop or something because he began to suck on it like a cherry flavored blow-pop. When it began to stop bleeding, his new goal seemed to invade my mouth, which I have to say I really didn't protest. After a couple of nips on my lips - _Hey, that rhymed! Go me! _- his tongue dived into my mouth.

Yep, he had definitely invaded my personal little bubble.

His hands that had been in the brick had suddenly found their way to my hips, where one stayed and pressed me against his hard form and the other had decided to become an explorer. When the explorer had come to sacred grounds, I knew I had to get out of there.

I had never been a great actress, but I apparently played the part of a slut really well. I made my hands run over his 'gross' body, then allowed, _I mean forced!_, them to make their way to his scalp. Where I undid his hair and let one hand run through it while the other one kept close to his head making sure he was always near my mouth and not my neck.

But -_Oh my gosh!_- his hair. It's not right that a man should have better hair than me. It was like a fire of silk. If he was a normal guy that didn't look at me as his next meal, then I would have been all over him, just for his hair and I'm not that kind of girl normally.

While my hands had their fun, I concentrated on sucking his tongue into my mouth and playing with it. I cracked my eyes open to see that his amber orbs were hidden.

A groan emerged from him has a I lightly scratched his scalp and sucked on his tongue. I began to swell with pride that I had this kind of hold on a man, but quickly squelched it has his hands began to have their fun and his hips started to grind against mine.

As much as I tried to fight it, a small groan made its way past my lips, but the vamp was far to into it to even boast. But the groan was a blow to me and I decided to stop this once and for all.

I sucked on his tongue really hard and then bit into it as hard as I could, letting a small, slow, sluggish amount of syrupy blood fill my mouth, but I didn't have time for that I swallowed quickly and then slammed my poor, already abused head into his. Thus, knocking him back enough for me to knee him in his 'sword.'

Then I booked it. I didn't look back to see if he had fallen, but from the small, almost silent, pain-filled whimper I heard I figured my goal had been accomplished.

I grabbed my precious bag of Listerine and peach rings and high-tailed into the building. I ran up the narrow staircase and rushed into my room and slammed my door with a big bang and proceeded to lock it up tight.

After I felt that the door was secure enough, I slid down the door with weak legs. This really wasn't my night.

After a few reassuring breaths, I slowly got up and walked sluggishly to my kitchen counter and dropped my bag as the reality came down upon me. I can't I believe I just made out with a vampire, seduced him, then kneed him. _This is definitely going to come back and haunt me. _

_Yes, it will._ Spoke a dark and furious voice in my head._ Crap, I hated when he did that!_

Sick to my stomach, I grabbed a sprite to help calm it when I realized I had a funny, coppery taste in my mouth.

_Oh! Shi-_

The dark voice filled my head again as it tsked, _What have I told you, my little pet?_

I quickly came up with a very long list of words that would even make that creepy blood-sucker blush. After I had finished a dark chuckled filled my head._ And you kiss your mother with that mouth?_

I began to growl and thought with barely constrained anger, _Those words seem pure compared to was it was like kissing you! And besides_,_ it was a lousy kiss anyway._

Soon I felt a cold shiver run along my spine. I really shouldn't have said that.

_Yes, I'm sure it was. Perhaps I should show you otherwise._ The tone of the voice reminded me that I was dealing with something not natural and I quickly tried to retrace my steps.

_N-No, thanks! I'm fine!_ I managed to think while I headed to the bathroom with my Listerine bottle in hand.

_I must insist. _

After that freaky comment, I felt him leave my mind. I mean I actually felt him. Yep, this was definitely weird, but baby steps remember! First we have to get that icky taste out of my mouth.

I walked into the clean little blue bathroom of mine and glanced at my ruffled appearance. It looked like I had been thoroughly ravished and, well, I had been. My tired azure eyes complimented the bathroom and my midnight hair seemed to have a blue tint to it in the light. My lips were now bruised and rosy red and my cheeks were still flushed, which complimented with my alabaster skin.

Giving a quick sigh, I took a swig of the bluish liquid in the Listerine bottle and began to swish it around in my mouth. The taste began to dissolve and I felt my mouth becoming clean. It was good, for about 5 seconds. Then my mouth began to burn with the pain that you can only achieve at a dentist's office without pain medication. I tried to make it, but the evil liquid won and I quickly spit it out of my mouth into the sink below.

Thinking that the pain would stop, I grinned to myself and then realized the pain wasn't going away! It fact it was getting worse!

_Just like flossing my ass! I_ thought as a sucked air through my teeth. I quickly went into my room while waving my hands around like fans for my teeth. In my panicked, pain-filled mind, I figured the farther away I was from the bottle the less it hurt._ Yeah, right. I'm a moron._

I walked into my bedroom, sucking air through my teeth looking like a freak show and low and behold, there's my new vampire buddy staring at me through my window.

He raised his aristocratic eyebrow as if asking, "What, in hell, is wrong with you?"

I felt the blood rushing to my face and mentally shouted back, _Listerine is from the devil! You brought it here to earth didn't you?_

The vamp rolled his amber eyes and smirked, _Yes, I did. I brought it here just so I could torture you._

"I knew it!" I yelled as I ran back to the bathroom to grab the liquid from hell.

Now this is the part, where it wasn't such a smart idea. I ran back to my bedroom opened the window the vampire was standing outside of -_Stupid fire escapes_- and chucked it at him.

Now here's the topper, I turned my back to him leaving the window open. Yeah, tonight was just not my night. But I mean, the sight of a deadly vampire getting knocked in the head by a bottle of Listerine is just kind of surreal, scratch that, just the sight of a deadly vampire is surreal. So like in a dream, you really don't think of the consequences.

But as I said, I turned my back and dusted my hands off and congratulated myself on correctly disposing the evil liquid from the depths of hell. But my thoughts halted when I felt a heavy force tackle me.

_Crap! But I didn't invite him in!_

The addicting chuckle shook my body, as he turned me to face him. "Dear little pet, don't you know that about 80 to 90 percent of communication is body language and by leaving that window open, it was practically begging to let me in. Not to mention that you took something of mine and I have a right to get it back."

I gulped, frantically trying to think of what I took of his. I knew it wasn't the peach rings because those were MINE. "Possessive, aren't we?" he asked with a devilish smirk.

"Leave my peach rings out of this! Now what did I take of yours?" I growled back angrily.

The vamp's eyes began to glaze over with a funny look, one that I had seen often at the bar I worked at. "My blood."

My eyes widened in surprise as I remembered the slow-moving ooze that had traveled down my throat. The bloodsucker must have realized that I remembered and allowed his fangs to protrude from his mouth. "Now about that kiss," he mumbled before his lips assaulted mine.

_What is with this guy and attacking my mouth?_ But that thought stopped like all the others, when I felt his tongue enter. He explored a little bit before removing his mouth. I groaned at the loss of warmth and I was ashamed of how my body was responding.

_This just isn't right._

I felt the sexual-assaulter smirk, once again, and with a mental groan he growled out, _No, its perfect. _

His mouth was nipping and licking my jaw and he was slowly making his way to my neck, where there would be no stopping him. Dear god, I needed a miracle.

And that miracle came in the form of a man. A man called Sano.


	2. Unfair Predicaments

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Rurouni Kenshin.

**Being the Target**

_By: LilBlueFairy_

_I would like to dedicate this chapter to my new and amazing beta-reader, **Kuroi Koneko!  
**__Thank you so much, for volunteering to help this poor, lowly one.

* * *

_

Let me explain to you the complex known as Sano. Sagara Sanosuke is a man of many talents and faults. Well, that's not quite right. Let's just say he's a man of many faults. There, much better.

Sano is your nice, neighborhood-friendly gangster. A fighter for hire with a huge gambling problem, therefore Sano has become the expert of free-loading, especially at my apartment. What can I say? I have a thing for strays. _Hey! I'm rhyming! Go me._

And even though he's a free-loading punk, he has become a big brother to me. When I have trouble with the plumbing, can't open that blasted jar of pickles, or just don't understand the importance of The Godfather, Sano is always there. And I mean always there, that dang Rooster-headed freak!

Just last week he walked into my locked-_Yes, I said locked!_- apartment complaining about how he was hungry-_Dang, freeloader_-and that I need to order take-out, while I was standing there dripping wet in my nice little white fluffy towel eating my little cup of yogurt.-_Don't look at me that way! I bet you eat your yogurt in the nude too!-_ Then that rooster-head had to go and say, "Nice legs, Jou-chan. Though, I think you could do a few more butt-buster workouts."

The nerve of that creep! Of course, he learned a very valuable lesson at that point. What's the lesson you ask?

A plastic spoon can be just as deadly as a katana.

Anyway, as you can see, Sano has always had a problem with timing, but I can honestly say that for once, Sano did something right.

_Wow. _

That's weird to say. "Right" and Sano in the same sentence. Never thought that would happen, of course I never thought a drop-dead sexy vampire would be laying on top of me about to give me the kiss of death either.

So here I am, staring at Sano's upside down form (or it could be that my head is just tilted backwards to see him) and feeling the surprisingly warm body above me.

_That's it. I'm in the twilight zone. Now all I have to do is to wait for that annoying announcer guy to say some profound question about my situation, and wait for that weird eyeball to show up and then all will be back to normal. _

I wait for a couple of awkard moments as the vampire above me stared at Sano. My lower half of my body starts to go numb andan annoying itch appears on my hip but my hands are trapped by the weird jerk above me,preventing me fromtaking care of the itch.My eyes dart around the room, where was that stupid announcer?

As the itch on my hip starts to really bug me, I realize that this was reality and the black-and-white guy was never coming.

_Well, there goes that theory…_

I focus back into reality just in time to see Sano's form become rigid and mouth drop open. His lips began to mumble and I swore I heard a "Only you, Kaoru." But that Rooster-headed idiot wouldn't be dumb enough to invoke my wrath. Right?

Wrong. But I don't have enough energy right now to pummel him right now since I've been trying to fight off a perverted red-haired vampire all night. So excuse me for not going into my full killing Sano mode. Besides I think this arrogant creep on top of me is willing to do the job for me.

All I'm jolted up into a standing position with my personal stalker hugging me to him like a security blanket. _Yeah! That's right! Sano's gonna beat your sorry ass!_

The vampire pulls me closer to him and his rich voice fills my head once again. _I'm afraid, koi, that it is you who should fear for your little friend. _

"Don't call me that!" I yell out angrily, only then to have Sano's stare focused on me. I begin to blush awkwardly and lower my head in embarrassment.

The pervert's deep chuckle fills the air and Sano returns his attention back to him. Soon recognition fills Sano's eyes and his face tenses angrily.

I shiver with uneasiness. I had never seen Sano like this before, and frankly I didn't like it. He looked as if he had a brain for once. And that's a scary thought.

"Well, if it isn't Battousai the manslayer." Sano says in a deep, cold voice.

_Manslayer? Oh Shit. What have I gotten myself into?

* * *

_

Sano took in the unnerving site of Jou-chan trapped under one of the most powerful men in the underworld. And to think this was supposed to be a normal drop-in.

Sano hadn't seen Jou-chan in a while and thought that he should check up on her and see if she needed any help getting rid of any extra grub. Of course, the loud noises from her apartment had helped confirm his idea.

As Sano neared Kaoru's door, he heard her voice raise loudly and exclaim something about knowing something. Unlocking the door with the spare key he swiped off of her a month ago, he quickly undid the locks and chains. Being a gangster, did have its advantages.

He stepped into her apartment and heard her bathroom door slam open. _Crap, she knows I'm here!_ Sano quickly launched himself on the other side of her couch and crawled across the floor till he was able to get behind the bar. Sure he looked like a moron, but he would do anything to escape the Wrath of Kaoru. He really didn't need to experience the plastic spoon incident again.

After he was behind the bar, he got up slowly and looked around the corner for Jou-chan. Luckily, she seemed to be preoccupied with something else. Sano was going to live for another day!

Sano gave a cheerful smile and then looked around the kitchen for some good food and that didn't included the living leftovers from Kaoru's kitchen experiments.

Spotting a bag of sugar peach rings, Sano grabbed and ripped open the bag. He popped in one of the sweets and then quickly froze, and it wasn't from the pure sweet rush of pleasure that went through him as he chewed on the gummy candy. A dark presence had settled over Jou-chan's apartment and was residing in her bedroom right at this moment.

He quickly pocketed the peach rings and slowly made his way to Kaoru's room. One didn't live on the streets and not learn a thing or two about the supernatural. In fact most of his connections were undead and Sano was proud to say they still haven't gotten a single drop of blood out of him yet.

Sano tried to think of the best way to enter, sure he could be all stealthy and act like he knew what he was doing but he preferred the old way of kicking down the door with guns (or fists in his case) firing and a giant idiotic grin on his face, but there was a problem with his personal favorite. It was the whole kicking down the door and punching randomly that would seal his fate. Kaoru would probably end up cutting off his precious hair-do and reintroduce him to her bokken if he even dared to touch her door with ill-intentions.

So he went with the Plan C. Act Innocent. He put on his pleasant grin, placed a toothpick in his mouth and causally open the door. What he saw caused his carefully placed toothpick to fall from his mouth.

There was his innocent little Jou-chan underneath a red-haired vamp supporting a small bruise on the left side of his forehead. My form instantly tensed from the negative vibes that the vampire was sending off.

_This is no ordinary vampire, Sano thought unhappily. The waves of energy that came rushing at Sano spoke of restrained and barely tapped power. "Only you, Kaoru. Only you could manage to attract trouble like this. Damn it, Jou-chan."_

Suddenly the small but powerful vampire stands and yanks Kaoru up with him, holding her to his side as if she were his personal teddy bear.

Sano studied the vampire with a sharp eye. The crimson hair, amber eyes, and 'x' shaped scar on his left cheek hinted to some unknown warning that Sano had learned long ago.

"Don't call me that!"

Sano was pulled from his thoughts and looked at Kaoru with surprise, apparently she and the vampire were holding a private conversation. _But I thought only the Elders could do that…Oh fu- _The warning from long ago had returned and the man before him was a legend that men of the underworld feared. _I'm sorry, Jou-chan we're screwed._

Sano's face contorted into anger and his eyes began harden. _I wish you didn't have to see me like this Jou-chan._ Sano soon shifted into his true gangster mode and became the real fighter that had been hiding in him.

"Well, if it isn't Battousai the Manslayer," Sano sneered.

Battousai gave a dark, cold smirk and clutched Kaoru closer to his powerful frame. _Koi, it seems I've upset your little friend._

Kaoru looked at the killer that was clutching her to his body and quickly formed a plan. _Oh he isn't a friend, you jerk. _Kaoru smiled haughtily as she grabbed Battousai's attention. Amber eyes glared deep into hers, possessiveness and anger showing brightly. _He's my boyfriend and my name's Kaoru. Learn to use it!_

Anger flamed withinthe Battousai's being, his blood calling for the blood of his pet's suitor. His arms tightened around Kaoru painfully and a small whimper escaped her lips, the arrogant shine from her blue orbs fading quickly into fear.

His dark voice entered Kaoru's pain-filled mind, _Then he shall die for daring to touch what is mine._

Sano watched the silent interaction between the vampire and his best friend. It just wasn't fair that they were using mental communitcation! It was leaving him out of the action and making him feel as if he really wasn't needed. "Umm, guys. I'm still here. Can you please talk out loud for us normal individuals!"

Kaoru quickly yelled out, "Shut up, you rooster head!" as Sano distracted her from her thoughts and then she promptly grabbed Battousai's crimson locks. _Ok, so he's not my boyfriend, but I don't belong to anyone, pal! And look here! You are invading my apartment after you curse me with that horrible concoction known as Listerine! Don't you think I've suffered enough?_

Once again, Battousai found himself fighting another round of chuckles. _How is it that I haven't laughed in over two hundred years, yet this mortal manages to makes me want to laugh every other minute?_

_Easy! You enjoy laughing at my pain and misery!_ A feminine voice yelled back.

Battousai blinked in surprise, he hadn't mean for this young one to hear his thoughts, but apparently they had formed a bond when she had taken a sample of his blood. _Interesting, very interesting._

_What?_ Curious blue orbs looked back up into his amber ones. Giving his signature smirk, Battousai rubbed his nose with Kaoru's. _Nothing, Koi. I must be leaving soon, but don't worry I shall return._

Kaoru pulled back quickly and angrily, _Don't worry my a-_

_Now what did I say about that mouth of yours?_

A small growl past Kaoru's lips. _Bite me!_

Battousai couldn't hold back the small smile and looked back at her with a devilish gleam in his eye. _With pleasure._

Kaoru gave a high pitched shriek and jumped back, trying to pull away from Battousai's embrace. When that didn't work, Kaoru began to think up her previous list of insults for the vampire holding her and threw it at him with all her might.

Meanwhile, Sano had sat back on Kaoru's bed. Apparently there was nothing he could do till the little mental spat was over, so he sat back and took out the bag of peach rings and chewed on them contentedly until he could actually do something.

Sano didn't know why he felt so comfortable but he just knew that the Battousai wasn't here to kill his Jou-chan. Maybe it was when Battousai rubbed his nose with Kaoru's that set off this wacky idea, but you didn't see Sano complaining. If he could avoid fighting one of the Elders then so be it. Sano was an idiot but he wasn't a fool.

Battousai had stopped listening to Kaoru half-way through her list and began to take in her flushed features and fiery blue eyes. She would make a wonderfully spirited bed-partner. _As much time as I would like to take to punish your dirty mouth, I must be leaving Koi._

_IT'S KAORU! You insufferable egotistical jerk! If I've told you once, I shouldn't have to tell you aga-_

Kaoru quickly cut off as she heard the crinkling of a plastic bag, a sweet smell drifted across her nose and her vision became red. That had better not of been what she thought it was. She couldtake the pain of Listerine, she could put up with the ridiculous pet names, and she couldeven handlebeing manhandled by a sexy member of the undead, but no one andshe meant NO one could mess with her peach rings.

"Sano…" growled Kaoru warningly. Sano stopped licking the last bit of sugar of his fingers and looked back at the angry Kaoru fearfully. He had heard that tone before, and the memory of the white plastic spoon heading towards his eye made him cower.

"Yes, Jou-chan?" He asked innocently. The Battousai held her waist loosely and smirked happily. _Jerk,_Sano thought at Battousai's pleased expression. Apparently, Battousai was happy to finally be off the hook.

"Is that the sugary-sweet remains of my peach rings that you are licking off your fingers?" She asked with a strained smile.

Sano looked at the bag that contained only three more peach rings. He quickly shoved it behind his back. "Jou-chan, I think we have more pressing matters than just peach rings! Remember a deadly vampire is hugging you like his favorite pillow." _Please, please let her get side-tracked again._

"I'll show you deadly!" Kaoru tried to leap out of Battousai's hold to strangle her next-door neighbor but failed as his steel grip was unrelenting.

Sano backed away towards Kaoru's bedroom door, "Thanks, Battousai! I owe you one!"

"I'm not doing this for you," came a cold reply.

"Right. Well, I'll be seeing you, Jou-chan!" With that Sano clutched the peach rings and ran out the door with as much speed as he could.

Battousai smirked and could still feel the human outside Kaoru's door, making sure he didn't do anything to the petite female in his arms, the human had nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, the sun would be coming soon and he had to make it all the way across the city to reach his home.

Turning the fuming tom-cat in his arms around he placed a small kiss on her jugular, andthen gave a light caress on her lips, causing her to be momentarily surprised and silent. "Later, Koi."

Soon Kaoru felt a small wind rush past her and the vampire was gone. Not quite sure what to do, Kaoru went and shut the window and slowly made her way back to her bed in a daze. Not bothering to change clothes, Kaoru laid down on her bed ready for sleep to take over.

This night was to weird, even for the Twilight Zone. Being human, Kaoru could barely realize the fact that she was now the infatuation of a sexy killing machine and that her beloved peach rings were gone.

Turning over to get more comfortable, her shoulder landed on something hard. She reached underneath her, wondering what it could be this time and pulled out the cursed bottle of Listerine. Its bent and dirty plastic frame was abused from the vampire's head and the concrete sidewalk. Sometimes, life just wasn't fair.

Kaoru heard some footsteps outside her door. Somebody, namely Sano, was trying to tip-toe away from the door. Kaoru looked at the pitiful bottle in her and a grinned maniacally.

"Oh Sano! I need you for a second," she called sweetly as she heard the beating of feet rapidly increase.

"Don't think you can get away from me!" she screeched angrily. Kaoru jumped off her bed and threw open her door, catching Sano trying to unlock the chains he had so carefully situated when he had first come in.

An evil grin lit Kaoru features as she shook the blue liquid within the plastic container. "Sano, you'll get cavities from those peach rings, so how 'bout you let me help you get rid of those," she said happily as she cornered her prey.

Kaoru had a rough night and somebody needed to pay for it.

* * *

Kenshin flew pastthe vents and steamthat decorated the land of rooftops. He had a little less than an hour before the sun would come up and greet the world, and it took about an hour and a half to get their by car. But Kenshin didn't worry, he was once known for his God-like speed and was now known for his God speed. He would be there in maybe 30 minutes at the most.

His thoughts lingered on Kaoru as he made his impressive leaps from rooftop to rooftop. Her azure eyes that had a hint of periwinkle woven through them, her rosy pink lips that teased him with every pout, and long graceful neck that made him shiver with anticipation at the taste of her blood.

Kenshin hadn't thought thoughts like these since his deceased wife, Tomoe, but that was another matter and the feelings he felt for the lovely Miss Kaoru were exceedingly beyond what he had felt for Tomoe. _Maybe, this is how Tomoe felt for Akira_.

Kenshin gave a tight grimace and shoved the thoughts of the past behind him. It was Kaoru who captured his mind now. What disturbed Kenshin is how quickly she did it.

It took one glance to catch his curiosity, it took one glare to ensnare his passion, it took one defiant action to light his desires, it took one kiss to muddle his mind, and it took one taste of her blood to know that she was his.

She was his. His to possess, to love, to hate, to control. Every part of her was meant to be his, body, mind, and soul. And he didn't know if he should be ecstatic or terrified.

To have one woman consume your entire being was a different experience for the Battousai,who was used to controlling everything.

But he found himself neither excited or terrified, but at peace. He merely accepted the fact and felt a peace for once. Of course, this feeling wouldn't last long because Kenshin already felt the beginnings of anxiety and emptiness from not have Kaoru near him. So this was what it was like to have a mate.

When he stole that bloody kiss from her tempting lips, his senses increased tenfold, he felt at home and excited at the fact that this woman was made purely for him. Then she had to go and knee him. Not the greatest experience in the world, but it proved that there would never be a dull moment with his Koi.

The wonderful and painful experiences lasted only temporarily and were meant to be a promise of the future, a glimpse of what life would be like with Kaoru. This brief sensation allowed his darker side and himself to agree on a common goal. With him no longer fighting with himself, his energy and abilities would double.

Kenshin gave a small predatory smirk as he began to think of how he could catch and tame his mate, but the smirk faded a bit as he hoped that she really could never be tamed. To live forever with someone was an awfully long time and he couldn't image doing it with someone that followed his every command.

As Kenshin finally neared his home, he gave a large powerful leap to make it onto his balcony. He landed on his thin metal railing gracefully, and hopped down quietly. If you were an average human, or vampire, you could have seen that if he had missed by one inch, he would have plummeted down 45 stories to the cold, hard concrete.

He slid open the glass doors to his bedroom and took off his dark, black trench coat, it's heavy material falling with a 'plop'.

"Kenshin," purred a seductive, husky female voice.

Kenshin sighed, ignoring his coat that he dropped on the ground, and made his way tohis closeddoor that led to the rest of the apartment. Steadying his face, Kenshin walked into his dark living room and gave a cold stare at the dark figure sitting on his couch. "Oh Sir Ken, have you been out on the hunt tonight?"

Kenshin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and turned on the nearby lamp. "Good Morning, Megumi." Kenshin said politely as he took in her pale skin that was as white as a moonbeam, dark red lips that smiled playfully and her dark brown eyes that twinkled with mirth.

She stood up gracefully and ran her fingers through her long glossy locks of pure black. "So, where have you been this fine evening, Sir Ken?"

Kenshin walked into his sterilized kitchen and pulled out a wine glass from a high shelf and a bottle of wine from a lower cabinet underneath his countertop. "Downtown. Now if you'll excuse me, the sun is about to come up and I've had a very long night."

Megumi glared at him angrily "You know as well as I do that as Elders we don't have to worry with such things. And what has gotten you in such a mood?"

But before Kenshin could answer, Megumi's eyes widened and then a mischievous smile lit her features, and Kenshin swore he saw a pair of fox ears adorn her head, but Megumi was a vampire not a Kistune.He shook his head at her antics and poured himself a glass of the deep red wine.

"It's a lady, isn't it?" Megumi let out a small but haughty laugh. "Is it finally time for Sir Ken to settle down?"

Kenshin nearly broke the bottle in his grip as she joked with him. Battousai was really not in the mood for jokes.

Kenshin glared icily at Megumi with red orbs and growled out, "This is not a good time, Megumi. I suggest you leave now."

Megumi had been with Kenshin for most of her undead life and knew when it was time to go. Battousai was not a patient fellow. "Alright, Sir Ken. Rest well."

"And you," Kenshin mumbled as he walked her to his front door.

She lightly kissed his cheek and stepped out the door. Kenshin watched as she walked straight acrossthe hall to her own apartment and unlocked the door.

He shut his door with a sigh and grabbed the glass of wine he had left on his kitchen counter. He walked slowly to the large set of windows that made up part of his wall in his living room. Lightly sipping the wine, Kenshin gazed over Kyoto and watched as the city lights slowly dimmed and the sun began to peek around the horizon.

As the sun began to fully come out, Kenshin drew his curtains and retreated to his bedroom to rest.

* * *

After Kaoru had allowed Sano to experience the joys of Listerine, she decided that she need to move somewhere temporarily, where that Battousai character couldn't find her or at least attack her.

Sano's apartment was out of the question due to the overpopulation of undiscovered species of molds that littered his apartment, so Misao was next on Kaoru's list. After several failed attempts to reach her on her home or cell phone, Kaoru gave up and just used the spare key she had made from Misao's original.

Carrying a large gym bag and a roller-suitcase, Kaoru made her way through the deserted streets of Kyoto to her friends small, but cozy apartment. The sun was rising, casting a beautiful glow on the old buildings and Kaoru felt a small sense of pride in her city. The different colored bricks of the old buildings created a nice calm atmosphere that Kaoru hardly ever got to cherish. A small smile played on Kaoru's lips and all the troubles of the night faded with the warmth of the sun's glow. Of course,the momentwas quickly squashed by the belching hobo in the alleyway next to her.

And that was Kaoru's life in a box. Everything is wonderful and great till some bleching hobo has to come and ruin it all. Or in this case, a manslaying vampire with a wicked cool but creepy name.

As Kaoru trudged on to her friend's home, she began to think of when she last saw Misao. It was at the bar with that wimpy brown-headed guy.

Well, Kaoru was excited and couldn't wait to catch up with her best friend. She was a little hurt when Misao didn't call the next day to tell her howthe datewent but Kaoru figured that it either turned out really great or she met some other guy.

Kaoru gave a small shrug, knowing that Misao probably did meet another guy and just forgot to call. She was known to do that sometimes.

_Well, it seems either way I'm going to be finding out soon enough._ Kaoru thought as Misao apartment complex was just up ahead.

Kaoru gave a small sigh of relief as she entered the elevator that would take her to Misao's apartment. She let her bags drop to give her shoulders some relief and finally felt safe.

_No more sexual assailants that have a possessive streak that's a mile long, no more rooster-headed morons that eat your beloved peach rings, and no more bloodsucking vampires!_

For the first time in the past three days, Kaoru let a full-blown smile of happiness light up her face. The elevator gave a little lurch as it reached its destination and Kaoru picked up her bags. As sheexited the elevator, she bumped into a tall stoic man with ice blue eyes.

The force of the impact knocked back Kaoru's small body and her bags to the floor while the tall man looked down without any remorse, but not even his bad attitude could effect her good mood.

Kaoru merely smiled at the man and picked up her bags and kept walking down to Misao's apartment. As she passed the ice block of a man she swore she heard her friend's name fall from his lips, but Kaoru was extremely tired and chalked it up to her imagination.

Kaoru fumbled to get her key out and juggled with her luggage at the same time but stopped when she noticed the door was cracked open. Pushing it open with her side, Kaoru let out a small and unsure greeting.

"Misao? Hello? Misao! You weasel-girl! You left your door unlocked again! Misao?" Kaoru dropped her bags in the messy living room that was cluttered with magazines, popcorn bags, take out cartons, and old coke cans. Stepping over a large pile of laundry, Kaoru quietly opened Misao's bedroom door.

"Misao?"

A dark but silent figure ran across the room.

"Misao! You weasel-girl this isn't funny!" Kaoru yelled as she flung open the door. What she was greeted by was two glowing red eyes and a dark sinister hiss.

Kaoru quickly dodged and barely missed her face getting slashed open. "Misao?"

The attacking figure stopped and hesitantly took a step forward. "Kaoru?"

Kaoru turned on the light from a nearby lamp and a small gasp of surprise came from the figure known as Misao.

Misao blinked to let her eyes adjust and saw the surprise and fearful look on her best friend's face. "What? What is it, Kaoru?"

Kaoru took a small step back and hit the nightstand near Misao messy queen bed. "M-Misao. Your eyes, they're glowing!"

Misao's mouth dropped open and ran to her bedroom door and shut it quickly to look at the full-length mirror attached to the back of it.

And it was true. Misao's dark blue eyes where glowing with a light sliver design in them. Misao placed a hand on the mirror and shrieked as she noticed the sharp claws adorning her small delicate hand. Misao gave a toothy grin and saw a sharp pair of fangs poking out from the rest of the normal set of teeth.

"Misao, if I didn't know any better I would say you're a vampire." Kaoru stated as she walked behind her friend to look at her new attributes.

Misao sighed and gave a rueful grin to her reflection. "So I guess it wasn't a dream after all."

* * *

Wow. Oh my gosh! Thank you guys for reviewing! It means so much to me that you guys liked it! I only hope this chapter will be as well liked as the last one. Thank you for your support and reviews. I was and am truly touched. Now then, if you've reviewed on the last chapter look below for your alias/name, because I've written back to you! 

_**Shout Outs:**_

**Norykoi:** You were my first review! That makes you really awesome! Thanks for your awesome review and support! Oh and awesome name.  
**Mad-4-Manga:** Wow. You are so great. You've been there for all my stories. I love you! I realize this one is a bit more risqué than my other stories, but I'm so glad that you still like it! I have to say you are one of my most favorite reviewers!  
**tkdl:** Hi! Thanks! Also, I love that text face too! I would do it, but won't let me. (_tear_)  
**Anonymous:** I'm glad you enjoy Kaoru's attitude. I didn't know if people would like the way I made her, but I'm so glad that you did!  
**Snow Lepord:** Thanks for the encouragement! I also noticed that you saw and read my Inuyasha story! And I want to let you know that I will hopefully have a new chapter for it within two weeks, maybe less. Thanks for the great support! You totally rock!  
**mtgranola:** Woo-hoo! Your review cracked me up! I'm glad you thought it was funny! What was your favorite quote from my last chapter? Thanks so much! I hope you and your husband have a wonderful day!  
**Anarana221:** Your review was great! I'm so happy that you liked Battousai and Kaoru's attitude! I hope you'll like this chapter as well.  
**half-breed-demon-fox: **Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I'm glad you like my story so far! What did you think of this chapter? I hope you'll like it!  
**XinnLajgin:** It looks like Kaoru distracted Kenshin before he could really do anything to Sano on this chapter, but I promise more awesome confrontationslater on! Also, I'm glad you think that the first chapter was funny. I didn't know if it was too corny or what, lol. Please Review again!  
**LadyWater:** Great review! I loved it! Please leave another one!  
**j9482002:** Here's the next chapter, but me continuing is based off reviews and if people like it or not, but because of your last review, I will probably continue!  
**Sims are awsome:** I've never played Sims. Is it good?(Not a joke, well sort of.) Anyway, I'm really glad you liked the peach rings thing. I love peach rings! And I couldn't let our heroine go throughout an entire chapter without harming Kenshin with a random object! So I said to myself, why not just do it with Listerine? I'm glad you liked my last chapter! I hope you'll like this one too!  
**mandella-sama:** Kaoru's point of view was there to help open up the story, but I might do more point of views later on in the story. If so, I will definitely do Kenshin! I hope you like the story so far!  
**Valkyrie of the Rohirrim:**Ok, I have to admit. I squealed when I read your review. It just made me so happy! You're review was so awesome and long! Not to mention, you pointed out the parts you liked and I love it when the reviewers do that! And then there's the fact you said that I was a great author and I blushed at that. Thank you so much for the great review, I hope you'll do it again!  
**KissKenshin7:** Thanks for the awesome compliment! I'm really try with this vampire fic and I only hope it will turn out good, but with great readers like you I bet it will work out!  
**Requiem-Dragon:** I'm glad you enjoyed this fan fiction! I hope that you'll continue to leave great reviews.  
**:P (Or text face with the tongue sticking out):** Sorry, I don't know if your face will show up, but I just wanted to say thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed so much that you begged. (_Sweatdrop_) I love your enthusiasm! Thanks for the great review.  
**cherry blossom: **I love cherry blossoms, aren't they just beautiful? I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
**unspokenmemoriez:** I'm so glad that my story is an exception! I'm glad that you are reading my vampire fic and enjoy my crazy attempts at humor. Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think!  
**Reignashii:** I didn't stop! How's this addition? I hope you still love this fic! Thanks!  
**Mizuya:** I'm glad you still liked my story, despite the first person point of view. I changed the point of view the time around, I hope you like it!  
**Kuroi Koneko:** How's my new beta-reader? I hope you liked this installment and enjoyed reading it while helping me fix it up!**  
Pinx916:** Hi! Thanks for the lovely review!  
**Lathayan:** I hope you like this chapter as well!  
**Cobaltsky:** Hello! I'm glad that you liked how I portrayed the characters. I believe that Kaoru's strong-will against Battousai's controlling nature will make for some interesting reading. But who knows? You do! Please review and tell me if you like how the characters are developing! Thank you so much!  
**Louise:** Thanks for the support and encouragement! It really means a lot to me. I hope you like this chapter so far and I will be sure to include Kenshin's point-of-view more often!  
**nightshade belle:** I'm so happy that I put you in stitches! Well, I'm not happy that I cause you pain, but I'm glad I made you laugh. Also, don't you just love a playful and sexy Kenshin. I know I do! Thanks for the great review!  
**DragonessoftheMiko'sFlame:** (_Bows Majestically_) Thank you! Thank you! Lol. Ok, I'm joking but really thanks! I'm so happy and honored in your faith in me! Thanks for your great support and I'm glad you dig my sexy vampire Kenshin! (Ok, he isn't mine. But we can all wish can't we?)  
**Triste1:** Thank you so much for your helpful criticism! I realize do tend to rush scenes sometimes, I'm sorry, I just get so excited! Well, I've gotten a great beta-reader now to help with my grammar mistakes and I'm paying more attention to them! So hopefully, it will be better. I've also redone the first chapter and tried to get rid of my grammar mistakes. Please review again and tell me what you think! Thanks so much!  
**Michelle:** Thanks, Michelle. I hope you like this chapter as well!  
**Kalika13:** You are great! Thanks for the great compliment! I'm glad that you are enjoying my vampire fic. Once again, Thanks!  
**battosaichick-:** Hi! So what do you think of this chapter? I know, I switched the point of view! Please, don't hate me or my story! I'm glad you enjoyed the mouthwash scene too! I had just recently used Listerine when I wrote that scene and had to share my pain with others. I hope you like the new chapter!  
**Tiffany:** I loved your face at the end of your last review! It was great! Also, I could try to see Kaoru up with someone else, but then I would have a murderous mob of fan girls trying to break down my door with Kenshin in front of the group. Me against Battousai? No way. Of course, I could always just punish him later in my story… Anyway! Thanks for the great review!  
**royal blueKitsune:** Yes sir/mam!(_Salutes_) I will not erase this story, unless there is a sudden lack of attention or love for the story. In that case it shall slowly die in shame and misery. But lets not worry about that right now! Thanks for the great review!  
**Rampaging Sorrow:** I'm glad you're into my story! And I hope I didn't make you sit to long for this chapter! I'm so glad that you are so involved in my story. It's really touching! (And no that isn't sarcasm, it's just a heartfelt sappy line.) I pray that you like this chapter too!  
**persephonesfolly:** Ok, first off. I love greek mythology and your name! Its great! Secondly, WOW. I loved your review. It received my traditional happy dance of merriment and joy! You picked out my favorite parts that I wrote! That means you have great taste! Lol. Also, I'm so glad you mention specific parts that you liked! That is like my number one favorite thing in a review! So Thanks and please review again!  
**Lyn:** Ok! I did as you asked. So what do you think?  
**piper mcllelan:** There's Megumi! And Aoshi! Is that crazy or what? See you didn't have to wait very long! I hope you'll review some more!  
**Mrs.Q:** Dear Mrs. Q, thank you for your wonderful review. I hope that I'll get to see more of them!  
**Yasuezu:(**_Blushes_)You called my fic a masterpiece! That was so sweet of you! Also your review was one of my favorites! I loved how you told me what you liked about my story specifically! You rock my socks! Also, could there be more to Hiko than just the resident drunk? Who knows? Lol. You'll just have to find out! Thanks for the great review!  
**lOuisE69:** Thanks for the great compliments for my story! I hope you think this chapter is just as hot as the last one!  
**Youkochick:** Isn't Youko dreamy? Sorry off subject. I'm glad you liked my story so far. Please keep reading!  
**Ocean Fish:** Don't you just hate it when you do that! You're expecting more and then there's nothing! It drives me crazy! I'm sorry I disappointed you by not having another chapter, but hopefully this chapter will make it better! Thanks for the wonderful review!  
**Amber:** I'm glad you enjoyed my last chapter! And I hope you liked this chapter as well!  
**Abz15:** Thanks for the review! I'm so happy that you left one! Did you like this chapter? I sure hope so.  
**pyramidgirl89:** I know, I know. It's mean to leave with a cliffhanger, but its an evil tendency of us authors and a temptation that we just can't fight! Please forgive me!  
**inugurlz:** I updated! I updated! Yay! I'm also glad that you took the time to read my story and was enthusiastic enough to use capital letters to urge my lazy butt to continue to write! I hope I get another review from you!  
**Mary:** 1) I'm not a genius. Lol. Trust me on that one. 2) You laughed? That's so great! I'm glad you loved my first chapter! I just hope the second was a horrible disappointment.  
**Hubert Cumberdale:** Hey, I get my best ideas and motivation from caffeine and lack of sleep! Don't take the power for granted! Lol. Thanks for the awesome review! You said that I had no flaws! That made me blush. But what made me blush more was the fact that you said I was awesome! That's so nice of you! Thanks for the fantastic review!

_I love reviews!_

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	3. Dark Moments

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Rurouni Kenshin.

**Being the Target**

_By: LilBlueFairy_

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* * *

_Kaoru's bags laid dejectedly to the side, not a zipper had been unzipped and dust began to gather on its black exterior. But the lack of attention to the fully loaded luggage was a small matter compared to what Kaoru was facing now. 

Kaoru's tear-filled eyes looked remorsefully at Misao's large incisors and she gave a silent sob.

_I guess the saying is true. When it rains, it pours._

Kaoru tossed the thought aside and tried to find the positive outlook as her friend's sliver-blue eyes filled with crimson tears.

"Well at least you're not dead, that means that we can still have that Buffy mara..th..on." Kaoru gave a small nervous laugh and watched as her friend analyzed her newly acquired claws. "Maybe we should change it to another show or something. Like the best chick flicks of the nineties marathon!"

Misao shook her head and looked back at Kaoru, finally acknowledging what she said. "You're right. At least I'm not dead. No," a dark sob/laugh made its way from her throat, "now I get to be part of the _un_dead."

Kaoru watched as her normally cheerful friend crumpled to the floor with weak legs and crimson drops made red streaks down Misao's pale face. "Oh Misao!" Tears that she held back finally broke through, "It's all my fault! If I hadn't ticked off that red-haired freak maybe he wouldn't have targeted you as well! I'm so sorry," Kaoru said to herself as she hugged her mourning friend.

"Red-haired freak?" Misao's tears quickly stopped and she pulled back from the sniffling Kaoru. "What red-haired freak?"

"You know the sexy, red-head that's blood-sucking killer!" Karou glared hatefully at an undeserving spot but then realized what she had said. "Oh, no offense, Misao!" Kaoru blushed as she thought back to the vampire's sensual methods of torture. _What a jerk!_

"Sexy! Did I just hear the_ 's' _word come out of your mouth?" Misao asked with a small smile, unphased by Kaoru's careless words.

"Yes, well he is! And I've said sexy before!" yelled Kaoru indignantly.

Misao gave a her a deadpanned look. "Josh Groban doesn't count. You haven't seen him in real life with your own two eyes." Kaoru began muttering about how sexy singers and movie stars do count but it went unheard as Misao looked at her friend's ruffled appearance. "So what did this sexy, mysterious red-head do?"

Tears and arguments were forgotten as Kaoru's face flamed a bright red. "Well first off he cursed the world with Listerine! Not to mention, he tried to slice me in half with that sword of his! And he got way too friendly for my tastes and I mean WAY too friendly."

Misao let out a small giggle, "Has little Kaoru finally been introduced to the ways of the opposite sex?"

Kaoru huffed and tried to force her blood cells back to the rest of her body and away from her face, too bad that was impossible. _Stupid uncooperative blood cells! I made you! You should obey me!_ But her blood still ignored her. Giving a big sigh, Kaoru realized that her friend kept asking about that sex offender despite the fact he nearly cut through her like butter!

"Hey! Aren't you the least bit upset that I was nearly cut in half?"

Misao's lively eyes danced, while her shoulders casually shrugged. "Of course I am, Kaoru, but you're here, aren't you? So I can't worry about the past. Now tell me what else happened."

Kaoru debated on tell her friend the rest of the story. After looking at Misao's curious face, she decided some things were best left unsaid. "N-Nothing." _Stupid stutter!_

Misao gave a smirk and that made Kaoru snap. Jumping up into a standing position, Kaoru pointed a finger at Misao's long, graceful nose. "No more smirking! No more! I can't take it! What is with you people and smirking! There are more options than just smirking."

Misao's smirk twitched and soon was lost to a full-blown smile that couldn't hold back the rounds of laughter that were bubbling up from inside. "Apparently the red-head likes to smirk too."

Kaoru's flaming face sucked in large breaths of air to recover from her recent explosion. "If only you knew."

Misao's laughter began to die down and she wiped off the crusty trail of bloody tears. "Now tell me more about this hunk."

"No way! You still haven't told me what happened to you!"

Suddenly the jovial atmosphere died and Misao's eyes became guarded. "I… I'm…. I'm just not ready to tell you what happened." Kaoru felt guilt flood her being and gave a small sigh.

Kaoru sat down in defeat and gave a small smile. "So the red-head's name is apparently Battosoy, Battosack, or something like that. And he really is incompetent on the way to treat a lady. His body is kind of small but is really built but not overly built to where it's completely disgusting, you know?"

Misao leaned in, allowing the happy, lighter atmosphere to return. Kaoru gave a small smile at Misao's inquisitive nature. _I never thought I would be happy to talk about the jerk, but a lot of things have been surprising me lately._

The sun rose and crossed the sky as Kaoru related her unusual take of the past three days to her best friend.

_Meanwhile..._

The loud and happy climate of the room suddenly changed into a light murmur and a peaceful atmosphere, as he entered the large dinning area. Apparently, they could all feel his solemn presence as he slid open the shoji door.

Most of the groups of men surrounding him kept playing their cards, ignoring the dark and deadly aura he gave off. A few of the more trustworthy and older members gave a small wave of acknowledgement his way and he gave a small nod in return, but his thoughts were not on the individuals he looked at, nor were they on the business meetings he had later on. Instead they had been stolen by a small pixie. A pixie that had now recently joined the undead.

Aoshi's memories took over again and soon all he could think about was how he had found her. Her small, innocent face laying on the cold dirty concrete, body limp and pale from the loss of blood, and her clothes torn and barely covering the glowing skin. The small scars that littered her small frame were slowly fading, despite the fact that they weren't recent wounds and cause by previous fights. But the most drastic thing that stuck out and the reason for her now unconscious state lead to two puncture holes in her delicate neck, but those were slowly sealing up and fading.

Two silver kunai lay near her small slight frame and more could be found around the alley, mostly buried in the concrete walls. This girl was good at what she did. A small pile of ashes could be seen underneath one of the kunai and showed that she fought to the very end.

Aoshi nearly shook his head to rid himself of these distracting thoughts but that would be unnecessary and undignified from one of the top leaders of one of the top vampire slaying organizations.

The Oniwabanshu was the best and most elite group of human vampire hunters in all of Tokyo, if not the entire eastern hemisphere, and was a subdivision of the leading vampire control unit in the world today. Tsuki, founded and run by a vampire surprisingly enough, was the largest organization that helped to control and destroy the number of soulless vampires in the world. It was sad to say that when a person was first turned, they would lose their soul during the transformation or they would eventually lose it to the addiction of blood and consume too much, causing them to become nothing more than animals. It was terrible to see how many failed to keep their souls but it was what Tsuki was for. To protect the innocent and to prevent an uprising of lost vampires, or those who had lost their souls to bloodlust.

Aoshi gave an unnoticeable sigh and made his way to his office, no matter how hard he fought it and meditated, he could never forget the girl. "Misao."

Had that been the twentieth or fiftieth time he had let her name flow from his lips? The memory of the girl's ragged state in the alley filled his mind again and he couldn't quite grasp what had happened in the past seventy-two hours. His mind drifted back to the the evening that changed Misao's life forever, and thought of the man that had been the only witness to his moment of weakness

_Three days ago..._

Okina sat back in his booth calmly. He sipped a small cup of sake and relaxed in the dimly lit restaurant. It was his favorite restaurant. It had great food, a nice atmosphere, and beautiful service. And he meant BEAUTIFUL service.

A curvy waitress in a small black skirt and white blouse waited on the table next to him a with a small smile. His calculating eyes took in her nice legs and a brilliant planned formed. Placing his cup down calmly he eyed his weapon of choice.

His hand delicately picked up the seemingly clean spoon and gave a calculating glance to the open space on the right of his small table. He tactfully measured the required distance and let the spoon fly.

It made its destination but that was expected of the former Oniwabanshu leader. Clearing his throat in preparation, he placed a hand upon his perfectly straight and healthy back and bent it at an angle.

"Excuse me, miss."

The waitress finished taking orders and looked at the elderly man with a large white mustache and goatee. "Yes sir?"

He gazed into the waitress's kind brown eyes and gave her his best pathetic old man look. "I unfortunately dropped my spoon and my back is to weak to bend down and get it. Would you do this old man a kind favor and pick it up for me?"

The waitress gave a sympathetic smile and found the spoon, she didn't question how the spoon got that far, and bent down to retrieve the missing utensil. She turned back to the old man who had a giant smile on his face and happily told him that she would retrieve him another one.

Okina's mind plan had succeeded and his suspicions where confirmed. That waitress had a fine a-

A sudden ringing shocked the old man and he reached for the vibrating cell phone. As he tried to open it, he dropped the phone on the floor.

Okina gulped and looked to see if the waitress had comeback or not. He glanced down at the small screen and saw that the call was from Aoshi, the leader he had appointed to take his place. The call must be important. So looking around quickly to see if the coast was clear, Okina bent down to grab his phone and quickly felt pain in his cranium.

The waitress glared at the perverted senior and shoved a fork in his direction. Her tray, which had been the weapon to deliver the pain, was tucked securely under her arm. She stomped away in anger. Her face flushed with embarrassment at being checked out by an old man. Okina glanced at the cursed cell phone in his hand and then noticed something.

He turned around in his chair and called out in a loud voice, "Hey! I needed a spoon. Not a fork!"

A silver missile aimed at his head shot towards the old man and the outward curve of the spoon hit his already bruised and deformed head. _That woman would make a great Oniwabanshu member_, he thought as he rubbed his forehead while staring at the spoon that had landed on the table after it bounced off his head.

He gave a giant sigh and looked at the cell again. He had missed Aoshi's call. That wasn't good.

Okina fumbled with the buttons trying to figure out the dang contraption that Aoshi made him get. After managing to find the missed calls menu, he quickly scrolled down and recalled the young stoic leader. There was barely a dial tone before Aoshi picked up. "My place. Now."

Soon Okina heard the annoying dial tone and realized that Aoshi had hung up. _That boy always got straight to the point._

Leaving some cash on the table, Okina quickly left the building and gave a powerful leap. He was soon racing across the rooftops to Aoshi's place.

Yes, it's true. The former leader of the human department of Slayers was a vampire, and that's why he resigned. Many thought it was so he could relax and become an old pervert and while part of it was because there was too much tension lying between him and the humans. Sure he could be their friend, but not their leader. It was different to take orders from a vampire than to joke with one.

That's why he appointed Aoshi, an abnormally powerful human, to take his place.

He trained Aoshi and allowed him to slowly reign over the Oniwabanshu. He hardly ever got called on by Aoshi anymore, not since he fully took over the business, but that didn't mean Okina didn't still visit. Okina felt as if it was his duty to teach the boy things other than just the way to run a vampire slaying organization. No, he needed to teach him how to have fun. That boy needed to lighten up and enjoy the wonders of a woman, but if Okina knew Aoshi at all he would know that Aoshi still had that stick up his as-

Okina slipped as he made his final jump to Aoshi's forty-five story apartment. As he comically leaned back with arms waving to see if he could regain his balance a powerful hand grabbed his shirt out of the shadows and yanked him inside the cold apartment.

"You've been drinking again."

The cold statement filled Okina's ears but he didn't care, it was true. There was no sense in hiding it. "Yes, I have. And I've been having a great time while I was at it! You should join me sometime. You know there are some luscious wom-"

"I have a problem."

Okina's offer stopped in its tracks. Aoshi finally admitted it! "I'm glad you realize that! I was beginning to wonder if you liked women at all. You had me and the men scared. We could never tell if you were gonna bust out and come out of the closet and tell us or what, so the men and I started a bet, but I knew I could have faith in you! Now, if you will just tell the men…"

"Shut up."

Okina shut his mouth quickly and looked around Aoshi's bedroom. It was bare and only contained a futon, a lamp and some candles. A small table was placed at the other end of the room and some green tea sat there cold. If Aoshi had made some green tea at this time of day, there was a big problem.

It was then Okina noticed her. A small pale form was placed in his large futon, her slim figure covered by blankets. Her face was too pale and Okina realized she was dying.

"What happened?"

It wasn't until several hours later that Okina left, needing to rest, but before he departed he warned Aoshi that the girl would wake tomorrow night and be mad with an unquenchable thirst. The only thing to save her would be blood. Aoshi nodded absent-mindedly. It wasn't the first time he would have witnessed an awakening and he knew the mad and vicious animal he would have to face.

Aoshi sat down as the pale girl behind him glowed lightly, her body already changing and forming into a vampire. He quietly did some paper work at the desk across from the futon, but that didn't keep him preoccupied long because his mind would keep wondering back to the girl and his memories of her. "Misao."

That would be the first of many times he would say that name in the next couple of days. He sipped his cold green tea and ignored the lack of warmth. Aoshi finally had felt exhaustion settle over his form and quietly retired to the couch in his living room.

All day, his dreams were filled by the pixie that was slowly becoming that which he hunted. Some dreams where pleasant and were of the days before the harsh incident that separated them forever.

Aoshi quickly woke up as the sun was setting. It would be soon. The moon would rise and tell him if she was strong enough to live or not.

He walked to her still but beautiful form and allowed his fingers to lightly touch her cheek where the dark smudge still resided. "Aoshi-sama."

He pulled his hand back quickly, his heart thumping against his rib cage. _Did she still remember him? _The question went left unanswered because the long curved lashes that lightly swept her cheeks fluttered open revealing two glowing red voids that served as eyes.

A dark hiss escaped from her lips and she quickly leapt across the room. She wasn't strong enough. A heavy weight settled over his heart as reached for his sword, but he came up empty handed. His back straightened and his eyes where the only part of him moving as he searched for his misplaced sword.

"Looking for this?"

Misao had grabbed his sword as she leapt away. _Shit, this one was smart._ But Aoshi really wasn't surprised, Misao was always clever.

She dropped the sword away from him and circled him slowly. "It's been along time Aoshi-_sama._" She bit out the 'sama' angrily. She flexed her claws and bared her fangs menacingly. Aoshi didn't flinch nor move, he stood as straight as he had been before.

"Yes, it has," he responded coolly, which seemed to only infuriate the little beast more.

Her body halted suddenly in front of the small desk on the other side of the room, his teacup still sitting where he had left it from the night before. Her eyes glared at him with hurt and anger, which threw Aoshi for a spin. _How can she be hurt? She has no soul. Right?_

"I have a soul! I've always had a soul! And you've always stepped on it and ignored it, you bastard." Aoshi's eyes widened at the insulting term. _Misao never talked like that._

"Sure I did! I just didn't say it out loud. I loved and cherished you and then you run off! And now you're going to kill me? What did I do to you?"

Aoshi looked at the snarling vixen and saw her breathing heavily. She was fighting her thirst! "Misao…"

A hiss was aimed at him and she took a step back, but her muscles were still tense, she was ready to pounce at any moment. "Don't you do it! Don't speak my name! It's not fair! All my love for you meant nothing! You were always cold and harsh. I was no better than a common tramp on the street!"

She looked down at her claws and her face tensed with hurt and sadness. "You always looked down on me. No matter what I did. I loved you with every fiber of my being. I respected and honored you. I thought you were cold for a reason. As if you wanted to be cool and mysterious. But now I know! You never loved me. I was just some dumb brat that got in the way and now that I'm not even a human being anymore, you can just kill me off."

Suddenly her small form turned quickly and retrieved the forgotten teacup. Her hand gripped it tightly before she tossed it at the cold human statue. It made contact with his large chest and seemed to not even effect him, when it reality it stung harshly. His eyebrow rose quizzically and he fought back a small grin. _Yep, that was definitely a Misao move._ _Only she could make a weapon out of a teacup._

"Don't act as if you know me! You have no right! I've changed since then. I'm not the little girl that adored you anymore!"

Aoshi watched her motions and listened to the rise and fall of her ranting. Everything spoke of hurt and betrayal but her movements always showed her hidden beauty. Sure she was a little boyish, but now she was a woman and her mannerisms spoke it. Even in her darkest of times. _That's it!_

"You're the darkness inside of Misao."

A dark chuckle spilled from her lips. "Give the boy a medal. I'm the one, who's dealt with all the pain, insecurities, and anger from her. And guess what, I'm a pretty forgiving person! In fact I can't remember over half the faces of those who have done me wrong," the dark Misao took small steps toward the silent Aoshi, "but I remember you quite clearly. Every line of your face is etched in perfect detail since I last saw you."

A clawed finger lightly traced a cheekbone, leaving a warm tingling sensation where her finger made contact. Aoshi suppressed a shiver of delight and had to remember his training and how to concentrate.

Her small body was so close to him his arms literally ached to hold her. It was if he had benched pressed 50 times his normal amount, and was now feeling the after effects.

A small whisper of breath played across his neck, yet he made no movement to stop her. A small hesitant voice spoke softly. Her voice drifted to his ear and clouded his mind that he had fought so hard to keep clear.

The words rang in his head making his eyes close and his jaw become taut. His fists clenched, making his knuckles turn white. It was then when she bit his neck harshly.

Misao's eyes closed in euphoria as Aoshi fought with every muscle in his body as he prevented himself from taking the small girl in his arms and breaking his self-imposed celibacy.

She greedily took a large amount of blood before she regained her senses. Misao's gray-blue eyes shot open as Aoshi began to slump from the lack of blood. She quickly removed her fangs and let her first set of bloody tears fall from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Aoshi-sama! Aoshi-sama! I'm so, so, so sorry." she cried into his shoulder as the apologies kept flowing from her mouth. Aoshi rested lightly on his knees as Misao supported him on her knees. He placed a hand on her shaking back and allowed a small smile cross his features. The dark Misao was gone.

She laid him carefully on his futon and quickly ran to find a bowl of water, some rags and some bandages for his neck. While she was gone, Aoshi quickly set up his mental barriers, cursing himself for not doing it sooner. A small grimace played upon his lips as the bite began to burn. When she had found the items, Misao made a mad dash for his room and carefully set the objects down.

She glanced at his neck and noticed that it was no longer bleeding but already closed up and was on its way on healing. She lightly touched it and Aoshi gave a small hiss as he quickly took in air. "Oh! I'm so sorry."

"Hn." Aoshi didn't know what to say. All he thought was that she shouldn't be sorry at all. The reason why he had sucked in air was because the small mark was acting like a sexual-stimulant and her touch alone was already driving him crazy. But Aoshi remained quiet and didn't allow her to realize this information.

A cold wet rag graced his forehead and peace over took his body. He was almost asleep when she had gotten up and left the room. Propping his tired and aching body on his elbows, he tried to summon the strength to sit up or stand or do something! He hated to appear weak in front of others.

As he was situating himself, Misao pushed open the door with her back and carried in a tray of green tea. The smell instantly calmed Aoshi and he allowed himself to fall back against his futon. _Besides, it's Misao. She isn't like the rest_, said his tired mind.

Misao quietly helped Aoshi sit against the wall and gave him a warm cup of the precious green tea. Aoshi took small sips and found the ache in his body disappearing and his growing headache fading. After he had finished the calming liquid, Misao helped him back into bed and stayed with him till he fell asleep.

As Aoshi began to drift from consciousness, the words she had so sweetly whispered to him still danced in his head. Those words cursed him, just as she had been cursed.

The next time Aoshi awoke, he found the sun had already set and Misao, dressed in one of his smaller shirts and a pair of boxers, looking at him expectantly. Once that she had seen that Aoshi could get up on his own, she left the room so he could get dressed.

When Aoshi exited his room, he saw a small assortment of food on the table. Fruits and a bowl of rice waited to fill Aoshi's growling stomach. A small blush that he couldn't fight made its way to his cheeks as it made its hunger known loudly.

Misao gave a small giggle and patiently waited for him to finish his meal. Aoshi couldn't help but feel off balanced as Misao sat quietly. This wasn't right. Misao was always talking and sharing her adventures of life. Aoshi studied the silent girl more closely and noticed her eyes where glazed over and weren't shining and twinkling like they normally were. Apparently, her soul was still healing from the turning.

"Sleep well, Aoshi-sama?" She said quietly as he finished his meal.

"Yes. You?" He felt a little guilty for her zombie-like state and decided that talking to the girl wouldn't hurt.

"I didn't sleep. Not till I'm ready."

He gave a nod of understanding. It was not usual for a newly-turned vampire to walk around as if they were sleepwalking. Their mind was on auto-pilot and would only find peace once their soul did.

"Come, we will find something for you to feed on and then maybe you'll be able to rest." He ignored the dishes and decided to clean them later and take Misao out to find her next meal.

It had been about midnight when they had left and it wasn't until three hours later that they found a suitable candidate for Misao.

Aoshi knew that if Misao found out that she had one of her first feedings from someone innocent then she would never forgive herself. So they carefully searched the city until they found a lecherous pimp who was currently beating one of his unfortunate hookers.

Tears fell from the young girl's eyes as she was pounded in the stomach repeatedly. "What did I say about leaving your station?" The pimp lectured as he damaged the young girl.

He stopped and allowed her to fall to her knees in pain so he could hear her soft, pain-filled reply. "S-Sorry s-s-sir. I needed to check on my little brother. I won't do it again."

The pimp slapped the girl roughly and grounded out, "I don't want excuses! Now prove to me that you're worth keeping."

It was then Misao attacked and saved the young girl, killing the pimp in the process.

His mouth was open in a silent scream as his life was painfully drained from him. His beady eyes were wide open in fear and his hands tried to claw at Misao to stop her.

The young hooker watched in fear and amazement before she was seized by the arm and pulled to a standing position.

"Here's some money. Go find a real job and never speak a word of this."

Aoshi placed 35,000 yen in the young teen's hands. She nodded quietly and ran quickly out of the alley, hoping she would never have to see it again.

After Misao drank the last drops of his blood she fainted and would have hit the ground if Aoshi hadn't caught her. He carried her light body to a nearby bench and laid her down gently before he made a quick call to his organization to find out where she lived.

After properly disposing of the body, receiving Misao's address from his informants, and locating Misao's home, Aoshi carried Misao in his arms into her building as he rode the elevator he realized he only had about three more hours till the sun rose and he would have to leave her again.

He spent those last precious hours picking her front door's lock, making sure her room was sun proof, and staring at her lovely, tranquil form.

He brushed a stray tendril of hair away from her face as he was getting ready to leave. "Misao." Her name was heaven on his lips and he missed saying it, but he would have to get used to that loneliness again as he left her apartment.

As he made his way back to the elevator he bumped into a small petite form that reminded him of the one he just left. Dark hair framed azure eyes and a happy smile played across her lips. Sure, she had more feminine features and you could easily tell the difference but her sunny disposition was what made the difference.

"Misao."

But he didn't stop. He didn't even help the girl up. He had to leave. Leave before he could never let go.

_Present_

Aoshi finally awoke from his reminiscing as a cup of green tea was set before him. He looked up, thinking to see Misao and was disappointed to only see one of the maids. His behavior was ridiculous but he couldn't seem to fight it. The words that the dark side of Misao whispered in his ear would forever linger in his mind.

"Even in the darkness, I still love you."

* * *

_Kunai: A small silver throwing knife._

Hey all you awesome readers! I know this was a bit darker than the last two chapters, so I'm sorry if this chapterwasn't as amusing. I felt that Misao become part of the undead was not a very happy topic and felt that it need to reflect in this chapter.But I still hope that you enjoyed this chapter and don't worry our precious sexy red-head will be a big part of the next chapter! Also, sorry for the late post! Life just decided to have fun with me and prevent this from coming sooner. And THANK YOU! I was so amazed at the number of reviews! I nearly cried. Every one of your reviews meant so much to me!

**I have a very important issue I need to share with you!**

Due to new rule, I am no longer allow to give _**Shout outs**_ at the end of my chapters! But sense I love to reply to your reviews I'm am going to e-mail you if you give me an address! That is what I am attempting to do for the last chapter (sorry if you didn't give me an address! I loved your review!), and will do in the future till something else can be figured out. Oh! And excuse them if they are late! I'm at a very busy point in my life right now, but hopefully I will be able to get the replies out soon! Sorry for the unhappy situation and please keep sharing your thoughts and opinions with me!

_I love reviews!_


	4. Bad Omens

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. 

**Being the Target**

_By: LilBlueFairy_

_

* * *

_

The old 1992 Toyota Corolla named Rusty puttered happily down the darkened streets of Kyoto. Its cherry red coat was sadly chipping away and if you looked close enough you could see duck tape fastened to the side-view mirrors. But despite its ragged appearance it was still in good working condition, well good enough condition to get Kaoru out of the city.

Yep, Kaoru was leaving. It was just this afternoon that she finished her final exam for the year and called up her boss to declare that she would be using her vacation time that she had saved up all year.

Of course, she called Sano to make sure he would grab her mail and left a post-it note on Misao's forehead to let her know that Kaoru had taken her car and some money to make the trip.

Kaoru laughed happily as she recalled trying to wake the undead girl. Not even the smell of coffee woke the caffeine-addicted weasel. Kaoru finally gave up after a half-hour of attempts and merely left a post-it on the seemingly dead girl's face.

Kaoru's suddenly jovial mood soon faded away in to sorrow as she recalled her and her friend's new predicament. It hadn't even been a week since she met that fiery red-headed vamp and already her life was slowly dissolving away from her.

It seemed that supernatural forces were determined to break her. Only her love of peach rings were her saving grace. In fact, five bags of the sweet salvation sat in her front passenger's seat.

Kaoru's mouth soon filled with saliva at the thought of the sweetness that awaited her at the next stop light. Yes, she could make it to the next stop light before opening one of the bags!

Of course it hadn't been but five minutes since she left her friend's apartment but that wasn't the point! She could make it. But oh! How she longed to chew on the lovely gummy substance.

Seconds trinkled into a minute. Kaoru's blue eyes darted back and forth from the street to the siren-like candy. Her knuckles whitened as she tried to keep her resolve. It wasn't long before small beads of sweat began to form on Kaoru's brow.

_That's it!_ Kaoru's hand shot out to grab one of the tempting bags. Kaoru's eyes never left the road till fate decided to laugh at her once again and send a deadly taxi whizzing infront of her.

Kaoru quickly stomped on the break, sending her sweet treats farther from her. Kaoru took in a large breath of air to calm her shaking nerves as she drove on to the rapidly approaching stop light.

When she finally reached the light and came to a stop, Kaoru glanced down to see that her precious cargo had fallen the farthest it could have possibly gone.

With a longing glance, Kaoru quickly looked at the light to see that it was still red. So with a new spirit filled with determination Kaoru quickly unbuckled herself and reached over into the floorboard to grab one of the tempting bags.

A loud obnoxious sound of a horn blaring quickly shocked Kaoru into sitting up, hitting her head on her steering wheel during the processes. Throwing a few choice words at the cars behind her, Kaoru lightly pressed on the gas and continued her journey down the road.

So far this road trip sucked, but Kaoru wasn't going to get down. Oh no! She had made sure to bring her favorite cassette tape of her favorite tunes. Happily loading the stereo, Kaoru pressed on in her journey to escape Kyoto.

* * *

Kenshin narrowed his cold eyes as he flicked the last remains of his target off of his sword. The silent scream that the unfortunate target tried to release would now never escape his features.

It was because of this imbecile that he had to put off his pursuit of his pet for a night. The traitor had managed to escape him briefly but only because he thought he had smelled a whiff of jasmine which temporarily broke his concentration. The thought of his unclaimed mate filled his head allowing the small amount of time to escape. But that was a terrible mistake.

A mistake of the target's that is.

By running like the coward he was proven to be, he only fueled the Battousai's anger, ensuring a slow, painful, and cruel death.

_Enough of wasting our thoughts. We have more important matters to attend too. _A dark voice muttered in Kenshin's head. Agreeing with the Battousai, Kenshin quickly made his way to Tsukikage.

Once arriving at the crowded bar, Kenshin allowed his dark presence to drift over the area, letting the vampires in the area know that he was around and was not to be messed with.

A small pathway formed, as he headed towards the dark bar in the back. A small smile played upon his lips as he thought about his pet's reaction to him coming to her place of work.

Of course, her reaction wouldn't matter because he would quickly toss her over his shoulder and take her to a more private place so that they could get better 'acquainted.'

As Kenshin's mood lightened with his thoughts, his steps became lighter and a more gentle mood settled over the place. Well, until he noticed a scrawny little man standing where his beautiful pet should have been.

His fangs lengthened and red began to creep into his vision. _Where is she!_ He angrily thought as he searched for her aura. It wasn't until a tall well-built chest filled his vision that he was aware that he was growling.

"And what do I owe the pleasure, baka-denshi?" asked a gruff voice.

The low familiar voice filled Kenshin's clouded mind and soon Battousai was in control.

"Hiko."

The tall familiar drunk form of Hiko quickly led Kenshin into a secluded backroom. After shutting the door, Hiko made his way to a large desk placed in the center of the room with a large bottle of sake placed on top.

Hiko offered some to Kenshin, who coldly refused, and then downed part of the bottle himself. "So what can I do for you?"

"Where is your normal bartender?"

"Ah, you mean the raccoon-girl?"

Kenshin growled angrily. "Kaoru. I wish to know the whereabouts of Kaoru."

Hiko gave a mysterious smile and downed more of his drink. "She's gone."

Kenshin's muscles were drawn tightly from constraint. "Is that so?"

"Yes, baka-denshi, it is. So if you would please retract your aura and stop threatening my customers. It would be appreciated."

Hiko smiled smugly as he took another swig. Kenshin glared coldly at his former master. "Do you know where she has gone?"

"Nope. Just decided to suddenly get out of town. I wonder why…" He gave a pointed-look at Kenshin.

Kenshin clenched his fists so tightly that a small trail of blood leaked out from his fingers. He quickly turned around but stopped as he heard the jingling of keys.

"Just go easy on the girl. She's the best barkeep I've got. Not to mention, I've grown attached to her and her drinks."

Kenshin glanced back at Hiko with a cold but understanding glance. Before Hiko knew it, the keys had left his grasp, the door to the loud club was swinging open, and his baka-denshi was no where in sight.

* * *

Kenshin felt the Porsche Carrera GT roar to life and then settle down to a steady purr. He slammed upon the gas pedal and took off out of the nearby parking garage that Hiko had his car parked at. His fists tightly clutched the stick shift and the steering wheel.

_How dare his pet leave him! She was HIS dammit! She could never escape him. When she decided to chuck that ridiculous bottle of Listerine at his head she had sealed her fate. It was either death or possession and the last idea seemed so much more pleasurable for once._

Kenshin's mental ranting continued until his mind started singing a strange tune.

"_Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from getting to you baby!"_

_Wait a minute that isn't my voice…_ Kenshin's eyes shot open widely as he recognized the true owner's voice.

_Kaoru._

* * *

Kaoru had finally achieved in her goal of grabbing her sweet temptationafter nearly crushing one unfortunate hobo and almost giving Rusty somenew paint designs from a lovely lightpole.But that wasn't even the best part!

Shehad made it past Misao's neighborhood relatively vampire free. Well, there was this one jerk with really creepy turquoise eyes that ran out in front of her car, but he ran off quickly when she laid into her horn.

It was when she passed her bar that she got some bad vibes. For some reason when she drove past her place of work her bracelet came unclasped and the cassette tape started skipping briefly. But the worst thing that had happened was when she dropped one of her sweet peach rings underneath the seat, forever loosing it to Rusty's grungy underworld.

_If those weren't bad omens, then I don't know what is._

Karou decided to quickly speed past the bar and its negative vibes before she had to suffer through another loss of a peach ring.

As soon as she passed the bar her tape resumed its perfect quality and she was able to re-clasp her bracelet effectively without getting into a crash.

It was then that she noticed she had made it almost halfway through the city. _Yes! I'm almost out!_

Kaoru's light-heartiness soon seemed to burst out in song as she joined in with Diana Ross.

"If you need me, call me. No matter where you are, no matter how far. Just call my name. I'll be there in a hurry. On that you can depend and never worry," Kaoru sang loudly.

It didn't matter that she really couldn't keep pitch, hada mass of sugary goo dissolvingin her mouth,or made the local dogs howl when she drove by. She was just too happy. _  
_  
Kaoru sang on as she sped through the night. Eventually her enthusiasm let to an impromptu dance in the seat of her car. Her arms swinging ridiculously back and forth to the beat and her head bouncing happily side to side. She was free!

Free from insanely hard exams! Free from dealing with perverted drunks! Free from pounding Rooster-headed freeloaders! Free from scary, obsessive red-heads! She was free!

Kaoru stopped at a busy intersection and began to pour her heart into her most favorite part of the song. With her body moving happily back and forth and a gigantic idiotic smile on her face, Kaoru sang and danced with all that she had.

"Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from you, baby!"

As the chorus came back in, Kaoru started singing and dancing once again but suddenly a weird shift in the atmosphere happened.

Kaoru started shifting her eyes around and noticed that the world seemed brighter. _Maybe its my good mood!_ She thought happily. She noticed she could see people's faces inside their normally extremely dark cars and that she could tell what kind of people were walking the streets.

_Fun!_ She thought innocently. She began to drive again and noticed that there was another stoplight coming up. She stopped happily and once again joined in with Diana Ross on the chorus.

"Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from you, baby!"

She was dancing around happily and started to look around again as she was sing and dancing, repeating the end of the song with Diana Ross.

"Ain't no mountain high enough! Ain't no valley low enough! Ain't no river wide enough! To keep me from you, ba…"

The words quickly died on her lips, her once active body suddenly sat rigid, and her heart seemed to thump even harder in fear. In the car right next to her sat Battousai.

And he was smiling.

* * *

Hi everyone! I'm back! Sorry for the extermely long wait. I hope there will never be a wait that long ever EVER again! I'm trying to update my stories so if you've read any other of my works you won't have to wait too long. I know this chapter is a bit short but I'm really trying so please forgive me. I'm also considering reworking the beginning before I continue on with the plotline. Some of my awesome readers have pointed out some mistakes that I really would like to correct and fix. Also, if I do this Imight change up the beginning as well. It doesn't seem to flow very well and that really bugs me. Well, I've missed you guys! And I promise that as soon as I have my stories updated that I will reply to your reviews. This includes the reviews from past chapters as well! Thanks for all your support.

Sincerely,

LilBlueFairy


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